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Context: House Hansard - 100 - Sep/22/22

Mrs. Élisabeth Brière (Sherbrooke, Lib.)

Sep/22/22 2:05:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this week communities across Canada are joining together to recognize National Coaches Week. The goal of the week is to celebrate the tremendous responsibility coaches have in creating a positive impact on our athletes and communities. During this week, thousands of coaches will be tagged with the hashtag #ThanksCoach and invited to participate in many activities, including online clinics and free virtual workshops. This summer, my front row seat at the Legion Championships in Sherbrooke helped me appreciate how much coaches like Sandrine Charron do for athletes. I congratulate the coaches who will receive the recognition they deserve for the work they do to help Canadians stay active and healthy.

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Context: House Hansard - 100 - Sep/22/22

Mrs. Élisabeth Brière (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, Lib.)

Sep/22/22 7:40:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni for his advocacy and for the opportunity to address the House on what we are doing to support the mental health needs of Canadians. We know that this pandemic has had a toll on the mental health of Canadians, due in part to the increased isolation, stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness that so many faced during the pandemic. Additionally, COVID-19 has pushed an already stressed health care system to its limits, and it can be a challenge for Canadians to know where to look for help, to find help, to find the right help and to access that help right away. Right from the start of the pandemic, we have been there for Canadians during these difficult times. We acted right away during the very early days of the pandemic by introducing Wellness Together Canada. The Wellness Together Canada portal has served as an invaluable connection for many Canadians, allowing them to get the help they need even when they could not leave their homes, or to use it as a stepping stone to receive advice on where to find more specialized care. The Wellness Together Canada portal is convenient and accessible, and it is working. With more than 2.7 million users, we know that this portal is helping to meet Canadians' needs. Another need that we are addressing is the establishment of a three-digit suicide prevention hotline. As of next fall, on November 30, 2023, Canadians will have access to an easy-to-remember 988 number to call when they are in need. We also recognize that even more needs to be done. The Canada mental health transfer is a new permanent federal transfer to the provinces and territories to help governments expand the delivery of high-quality, accessible and free mental health services. Our government pledges to ensure this new permanent transfer is well-crafted. That is why budget 2022 includes a renewed commitment to work with the provinces and territories to develop a mental health transfer. The Government of Canada also remains committed to funding the transfer with an initial investment of $4.5 billion over five years. The Minister of Mental Health and Addictions has also undertaken extensive stakeholder outreach to gather views to inform the development of a comprehensive and evidence-based mental health plan. This engagement is ongoing and will also inform the development of the mental health transfer. The mental health transfer will be established with the benefit of input from the ongoing provincial, territorial and stakeholder engagement. Our government has made historic investments in mental health, including $5 billion to the provinces and territories through ongoing bilateral agreements, which will provide $600 million annually to support the 2017 common statement of principles on shared health priorities. This is currently helping to increase the availability of mental health and addiction supports for Canadians. This existing transfer provides $600 million annually until 2027. As we have also announced, we plan to work with the Standards Council of Canada to develop national standards for mental health and addiction services to meet the mental health and addiction needs of Canadians. We invested $45 million in this initiative in budget 2021.

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Context: House Hansard - 100 - Sep/22/22

Mrs. Élisabeth Brière

Sep/22/22 7:45:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand my colleague's question. I agree with him that the crisis has cost lives and that we have to take action to adequately meet the mental health needs of Canadians. As we have often said, mental health is an integral part of health. Our government is making it a priority. Since 2015, we have invested several historic amounts, including $5 billion for access to mental health care, nearly $600 million for the mental health strategy for indigenous peoples, $140 million for veterans, $45 million for national mental health standards, and $270 million for the Wellness Together Canada portal. We remain committed to this new mental health transfer of $4.5 billion over five years. The establishment of a new, permanent Canada mental health transfer is one of our top commitments. The government is fully committed to designing and implementing a new, permanent Canada mental health transfer.

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